Everything Went Black, and it never went back. You could interpret that (accurately) as a bad joke, or see it as a commentary on the band's commitment to metallic hardcore. Formed in 2009, EWB has only become more vicious with time. Frontman Brandon Hoffman has the lungs of a man three times his physical stature, and the remainder of the quintet has road-tightened into a national-caliber band. The group has often drawn comparisons to iconic hardcore veteran Converge; today, the similarity has as much to do with Everything Went Black's stamina and energy as its stylistic choices.
-Ryan Wasoba

Find one other band in town with a singer that can catch loogies he just spit into the air back in his mouth while menacingly pacing the stage (or floor, as is often the case) and howling verses with anger and conviction. You can't. Add some noisy riffs and no-bullshit, in-your-face hardcore to that makes-you-feel-dirty atmosphere and you've got Life Like, a band so raw and nasty it will make you want to take a shower. The music is deliciously violent and disgusting and as intense as can be -- watch for its new EP on the venerable Deranged Records in the very near future.
-Jimmy Eberle

Lumpy and the Dumpers may just save your soul -- but before that it is bound to be dragged through some slime. For over two years, Lumpy mastermind Martin Meyer and his rotating cast of St. Louis punk's finest have been producing some of the most vile and vicious hardcore in the nation. Fresh off their now-infamous stint at Brooklyn's New York's Alright fest (complete with ooze, nudity and fireworks), the Dumpers' star continues to rise, finding the gang among contemporaries like Hank Wood and the Hammerheads and Crazy Spirit. With songs entitled "Gnats in the Pissa" and "Sex Pit," the band continues to make a name for itself through sold-out seven-inches, consistent touring and raucous live shows.
-Josh Levi

Pink Sock makes a show out of self-destructing, and although it logically should have imploded by now, the band still pulls at the tendons of punk rock in St. Louis. For a band born in 2009 of equal parts parody and performance art, hardcore seems like an unlikely destination. Vocalist Travis Hanrahan tends to mangle himself over stage gear and angry bandmates, but ultimately his scream -- as skin crawling as can be -- propels the songs atop scattershot blast beats. The whole package feels honest, lacking the clean dressing most modern punk tends to wear.
-Joseph Hess

Shaved Women is anger incarnate. Everything from the distorted bass to the thundering drums to the chainsaw riffs to the near-murderous vocals is proof that anyone can be pushed over the edge. The band's upcoming new LP should serve as ample incentive for anyone looking for a good reason to enter a psyche ward very soon. Shaved Women has been spreading its rage on tours across the country for years now, likely inspiring madness and destruction all across the land. Don't listen to this band around your loved ones -- save the chaos that will ensue for the south-city basements.
-Jimmy Eberle